Watching content on a small screen such as a mobile phone can be every bit as compelling as on a traditional TV, maintains Bernard Gershon, head of digital media at Disney-ABC Television Group.

‘You need strong brands to get people to adopt mobile TV,’ he said. ‘It’s not the size of the screen that matters, it’s what’s on it.’

Gershon addressed a packed room of broadcasters and producers at the Playback Mobile Forum on May 17 in Toronto, and shared some of Disney-ABC’s initiatives in the mobile space, including a recent deal with U.S. mobile carrier Sprint. The network was also the first to upload primetime shows to iTunes south of the border, although those eps are not yet available to Canadians unless they carry an American credit card.

‘This time last year it was revolutionary to stream episodes of shows online. Today we make TV shows such as Lost and Desperate Housewives available on iTunes, and now, Sprint mobile phones,’ he said, adding that emerging platforms such as mobile have not eroded the primary platform of television. ‘In fact, it’s brought us closer to our viewers,’ Gershon said.

In addition to ABC primetime series, news programs such as ABC World News with Charles Gibson and Good Morning America and Disney shows including Hannah Montana are also available on the carrier on an on-demand basis via one of three mobile channels.

‘From a news perspective, we know the service is valued by mobile watchers… They want to see news on the go,’ Gershon said, stressing the importance of delivering in-demand content to viewers on-demand, anywhere they want it.

The Disney-ABC group has also expanded its wireless services beyond the U.S. to territories including Europe and Asia, where downloadable content for mobile devices is becoming increasingly popular in countries such as South Korea.

‘Korean households only have one TV, so kids tend to watch TV on their phones because they don’t control the main remote,’ Gershon noted, adding that knowledge of TV viewing habits in a particular market is crucial.

While the network wants to generate advertising revenue in the long term, Gershon said it is still testing the waters to see how users would react to video advertising on mobile phones.

‘We will probably be introducing 15-second pre-rolls to programs pretty soon,’ he said, confident mobile users will warm up to the spots, as long as Disney-ABC remains focused on delivering ‘the best user experience possible.’

On what the future holds for the emerging platform, Gershon cited a recent IBM study that projected the mobile market to be a US$27-billion industry by 2010, and was clear about his network’s plans.

‘We want to have content on every carrier in the U.S. and Canada in the long term,’ he said, noting that the TV viewing landscape has changed.

‘Not so long ago, TV companies thought we controlled the TV viewing experience, but now viewers are in control of what they watch.’